An amazing wildflower show April-June with amazing views of the Oregon/Washington Cascade Range

A hike to the top of Bald Butte is a a great choice for an early season hike in the Upper Hood River Valley!  A wonderful display of  Mt Hood National Forest wildflowers, Lupine, Balsam Root, Indian Paintbrush, to name a few, covers the hillside from mid-April through June.  The views from the Butte are amazing, overlooking the Hood River Valley and spectacular views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. St.Helens, and Mt. Rainier.  Vegetation varies between stands of oak on the lower hillside with fir and pine at the higher elevations and on the north facing slopes

Trail head elevation 1900′ to 3,780′ top of Bald Butte

Difficulty – Moderate/Strenous

Trail ascends Oak Ridge via a series of switchbacks passing through open, grassy slopes and stands of Oregon White Oak.  After the first mile, trail enters mixed oak and fir and eventually the oak is left behind.  Near the top of the ridge the Oak Ridge Trail connects with the Surveyor’s Ridge Trail.  Hike 1.8 miles North to the top of Bald Butte for the unsurpassed views of the Valley below and the 4 volcanic peaks of the Oregon and Washington Cascades

After the blossoms come the fruit of the Hood River VAlley

The acres and acres of blossoms in the Hood River Valley have now turned to itsy bitsy pieces of fruit.  And for the next 4 months we will watch them grow and wait for the amazing crop of pears, apples, cherries, peaches and other varieties of fruit.  In June and July come the berries and cherries, August, stone fruit, September so many varieties of pears and apples you’ll need days to try them all.

You needn’t wait until then to enjoy the bounty of the Hood River Valley.  Visit the many family farms and decide which one is your favorite, if you can,  and which ones you might want to return to in the fall for harvest.  While you wait for the fall harvest tour the wineries of the Hood River Valley, sampling award winning wines along the way.   The Hood River Valley Fruit Loop is a 35 miles driving tour past family farms, quaint communities, forests and orchards.

So much to see and do you won’t want to leave.  Plan on spending a few extra days at the Old Parkdale Inn Bed and Breakfast and we’ll send you out every morning with ideas for exploring of the Columbia River Gorge and the Mt Hood National Forest.

An Evening Gosbeak at one of the many feeding stations in the gardens of the Old Parkdale Inn

We sure do!  Our gardens are a flurry of avian activity!  Sparrows, finches, blackbirds, chickadees…the list goes on.  Our most colorful visitors so far this spring have been the Evening Grosbeaks.  They are a beautiful bird, don’t you think?  And we have had at least 50 feeding regularly at our many feeding stations.

The gardens of the Old Parkdale Inn Bed and Breakfast have been recognized as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Foundation.  That is we provide feed, water, shelter and nesting provisions for the many species of birds that visit our gardens.  One day last spring in just about a half hours time I identified 21 species of birds!  I invite you to come sit in a secluded nook of our garden and watch the activities!

The beginnings of our aromatic Pear Butter, made with pears from the Hood River Valley

Slow cooking pears in the crockpot sure makes the inn smell wonderful. I start with about 5-7 pounds of pears from the Hood River Valley.   With so many growers we have the pick of the crop for the very best Pears in the World!  The Hood River Valley is the largest pear growing region with over 2.4 million fruit trees, not all pears, apples, peaches, cherries, too.  As I type the blossoms are popping giving hope to a plentiful harvest.

For my last batch of Pear Butter I used about half Bosc and half Anjou, two of my favorites.  I diced them into half inch cubes, filling my 6 quart crock pot to the top.  Then I added about a quart of Ryan’s Apple Cider, half cup of brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.  Sorry I never measure, just add a little at a time until I get the flavor I’m looking for.  The cider gives the pears something to cook down in, but don’t worry, most of the liquid will cook out, leaving the sweet taste of fruit.

I cooked this down, on high, for about 4 hours.  Depending on what type of pears you use will determine if your sauce will have the ability to stay chunky.  At this point you can choose to put all in the blender to puree, creating the butter, or leave it as is. After you’ve pureed, return it to the crock pot, turn it down on low, leave the lid off and let it cook on down.  Same process, minus the puree, to create more of a pear compote.   I usually start the process after serving breakfast to our guests and let it cook all night. I present it on the table to be used on fresh fruit scones or apple/pear pancakes and waffles.

Plan your fall vacation now to the Hood River Valley and the Old Parkdale Inn, to pick up your pears and apples.  The Hood River County Fruit Loop is a 35-mile, scenic drive through the valley’s orchards, forests, farmlands, and friendly communities.

Many of you know Tilly, our canine hostess here at the Old Parkdale Inn Bed and Breakfast.  Her pedigree is half Greater Swiss Mountain Dog and half Bernese Mountain Dog.  She joined our family in December 2004 at just 3 months old.  At only 17 pounds she was able to ride on my lap home but within a couple of weeks that wasn’t working anymore.

She takes her job as canine hostess here at the Inn very seriously.  She loves to gently greet our guests, leaning into their legs and sometimes sitting at their feet, espcially in front of the fire in winter.  But she’s not at all intrusive and will, relucently ‘go lay down’ when asked.

We love her dearly and our daughter swears we have more pictures of Tilly than her!  Probably not, but maybe so!! I’ve put together a little slide show of her life with us here at the Old Parkdale Inn and in the Upper Hood River Valley Oregon.  A Mountain Dogs dream Life!!

Stuffed Potatoes and Egg at the Old Parkdale Inn Bed and Breakfast

During our very busy summer months I haven’t got time to try out new recipes. So I like to take advantage of this slower time of  year to research new breakfast menu ideas.  I’ve created a Pinterest page for the Old Parkdale Inn, http://pinterest.com/innparkdale.  One board is called ‘Maybe for Breakfast.’  The photos and links on Pinterest are amazing and endless and I have found quite a few wonderful food blogs.  I pin photos of breakfast/brunch dishes I’d like to prepare in the ‘Maybe’ board and as I give them a try and take photos myself I’ll add them to the ‘What’s Cooking’ board.  This morning it was  Stuffed Potatoes with Egg.  So easy, tasty and visually appealing.  Guests loved them so I think they are a keeper for the summer menu.

The prep can be done the night before except for the last steps of breaking the egg into the Potato Shell and cheese.

~ Bake potato and when cooled scoop out most of the flesh, leaving a firm layer, creating a shell.  I used this for soup.
~ Our filling consisted of Spinach, Mushroom, Red Onion, all chopped fine, mixed with a little Sour Cream and Cheese. Be creative.  Add bacon bits, diced ham, chives, etc.
~ In the morning I scooped the filling into the Potato Shell, pressing it into the sides right up to the top, leaving a crater to crack the egg into.  Do that then sprinkle extra cheese on top.  Place in a preheated oven, about 350°, and bake til the egg is set but not overcooked, about 25 minutes,  Serve immediately!

The Wygant Trail, a little traveled section of the Historic Columbia River Highway

Last week we explored a abandoned section of the Historic Columbia River Highway,  The Wygant Trail begins at the Mitchell Point trailhead and meanders through Douglas Fir Forest along the Columbia River Gorge.   Thanks Travel Oregon for sharing this information

Set here for breakfast, this table seats up to 10 with plenty of room for your meeting agenda

The Old Parkdale Inn, in the Hood River Valley, can be the ideal location for your small business meeting or social retreat.  Our table can seat up to eight with plenty of room to spread out.  Wireless internet access is available throughout the inn and gardens.  A 50″ wall mounted big screen tv is available for your presentation.  Our gardens or the nearby lakes and trails in the Mt. Hood National Forest provide the ideal environment for group leisure activites or individual meditation and reflection.

Should you choose to make it a multi-day retreat we can sleep up to 8 and have nearby accommodation connections if more is needed.  We’ll provide a full breakfast each morning plus a snack bar stocked with beverages, coffee, cookies and candies.  We can also prepare an afternoon lunch or snack.  Whatever you might need.

A Hood River Valley View from Panorama Point

It’s almost bike riding weather.  I write this as the spring snows still fall but we all know spring is just around the corner.  We had many a guests last year who brought their bikes and enjoyed biking the Hood River County Fruit Loop and the many backroads of the Hood River Valley.  After a hearty breakfast they left the Old Parkdale Inn and traveled down Highway 35 toward Hood River, detouring off onto a few of the many backroads, cruising through the orchards, stopping along the way to take in some spectacular views.

After lunch at Full Sail Brewery in Hood River they headed back up the valley on Hwy 281 which climbs back up to Parkdale through the hills on the west side of the Valley.

The Fruit Loop drive is a 35 mile scenic drive through the valley’s orchards, forests, farmlands, and friendly communities but you could easily extend or shorten your ride. I found a website that should be very helpful planning your route. ridewithgps.com is a ride sharing and route analysis tool and has many proven routes.

Let the Old Parkdale Inn be your home base while you explore your many biking options through the Valley, the Columbia River Gorge, or around Mt Hood.  There are plenty of mountain bike trails, too.